UAE Ranks Among World’s Top Humanitarian Donors in 2025
Abu Dhabi, The Gulf Observer: The United Arab Emirates reinforced its standing as a global humanitarian leader in 2025, ranking as the world’s third-largest aid donor with contributions totaling US$1.46 billion, according to data from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Financial Tracking Service.
During the year, the UAE announced a major pledge of US$550 million to support the United Nations’ Global Humanitarian Overview, which seeks to mobilize US$33 billion in 2026 to assist approximately 135 million people worldwide.
In Gaza, the UAE provided more than AED 9.4 billion in humanitarian assistance by December. The support included over 100,000 tonnes of relief supplies, two million gallons of water, and the evacuation of 3,000 patients along with their accompanying relatives for medical treatment in the UAE. The UAE-operated field hospital in Gaza treated around 54,000 cases, while its floating hospital in Al Arish provided care to more than 21,000 patients.
Assistance to Sudan amounted to US$784 million since 2023, bringing the UAE’s total humanitarian support to the country to US$4.24 billion between 2015 and 2025.
In Yemen, the UAE committed US$1 billion to the energy sector, including renewable power plants in Aden and Shabwa designed to serve more than one million homes. The country also delivered extensive relief assistance, including Ramadan food aid, flood relief for 960 families, food distributions, education support, and a World Health Organization-backed initiative in Socotra aimed at combating malnutrition.
Regarding Ukraine, the UAE said its mediation efforts facilitated the exchange of 4,641 prisoners, while its humanitarian aid agency signed a US$4.5 million agreement to develop care centers for orphans.
The UAE also extended emergency assistance to countries affected by floods and other crises, delivering 700 tonnes of food supplies to Somalia, more than 1,000 tonnes to Chad to support 150,000 flood victims, and implementing winter relief campaigns in Albania and Bangladesh.
Specialized UAE relief teams supported humanitarian operations in Myanmar, the Philippines, Afghanistan, and Sri Lanka, while the country pledged US$10 million to help nations across Asia and the Pacific respond to natural disasters.
Beyond emergency aid, the UAE signed agreements to construct a fully integrated eye hospital in Uganda at a cost of US$20 million and allocated a US$64.5 million grant to support Al-Makassed Hospital in East Jerusalem. Additional agreements were signed to build the Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak Hospital and a dialysis center in N’Djamena, Chad.
Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives pledged AED 36.7 million to United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) programs supporting displaced communities. Meanwhile, the UAE’s Digital School, in partnership with the ATAYA Initiative, launched “Skills Academies” to train five million young people in Africa with labor market-relevant skills.
Domestically, the UAE also launched major endowment initiatives, including the “Father’s Endowment” campaign and a UAE Food Bank partnership with the “Ne’ma” program to provide one million meals from surplus food. In addition, authorities unveiled the AED 4.7 billion Mohammed bin Rashid Endowment District, described as the region’s first fully integrated endowment community.
